The Hero's Silent Scream
by 3cheersforidiots
Summary: After the war, the media in Wizarding Britain have become unbearable. And so, Harry decided to leave, to start over in a little muggle town, where no one knows him. That is, until one day, one of his friends shows up at his door with the intent of getting to know him once again. One-shot, Written for the February One-shot Exchange, for WolfWinks. (reuploaded)


**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, it would be much crazier.**

 **A/N: Huge thanks to kenziescott54 for betaing :)**

 **Enjoy!**

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There was a little town in Bedfordshire, called Biggleswade.

In this town lived nearly 15,000 people, but none of them knew the man who lived in the outskirts, alone, in a little shack. It had been nearly five years since he appeared, seemingly out of thin air; he had bought the cottage and settled down, and ever since, residents living in the nearby homes had rarely ever seen him. He had never been seen gardening, he had never been seen collecting the post, and he had never been seen leaving for work in the mornings, or coming back from work when the church clock hit 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

Rumour had it that he was actually just a ghost, and that no living soul occupied the house at the end of Sunflower Lane. Maybe the man in the cottage was just a figment of their imagination. Maybe the house had always been empty.

And so it was a great surprise for the man's neighbours when, five years after he first appeared, on a sunny midsummer's day - a day when the sky was bright blue, and scattered with little clouds all over - a woman, looking to be in her early twenties, strolled down the road and knocked on the cottage's door.

She had dirty blond hair, and some strange-looking earrings, but other than that - and her unusually dreamy expression - she looked perfectly normal.

At least, she would have, if she hadn't been a witch. But no one in Biggleswade knew about that – there were only muggles there.

Minutes passed before the woman tried to knock again, but as she raised her hand to bang on the door, it suddenly flew open. The man who lived there took a few moments to comprehend who he was seeing, and then his eyes widened in shock, as if he had seen an actual ghost (which he had had, when he had been younger, but that's beside the point).

"Luna?" he asked, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. "What are you doing here? And… how did you find me?"

The girl named Luna smiled at him rather sheepishly before answering.

"Some say that even if something or someone's thought to be lost, they never actually are. You just have to search at the right places," she explained. "I wanted to find you, that's how. Though it did take me a good few years."

"Well, if you came here to tell me I should go back to London, then your search wasn't worth it. I'm not going back," the man retorted, looking stern.

"I'm not asking you to come back," Luna shook her head. "But we all missed you. Harry, it's been five years since you disappeared, and we've all been worried. I just wanted to talk to you. I just wanted to make sure that you're doing alright."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Harry said, scratching his head. "It's just… Hey, um, you want to come in? I mean, this is going to be a long talk, and I think my neighbours are already freaking out because some weird girl randomly turned up on my lawn."

"Sure," Luna sent him a reassuring smile as she slipped in. "I like the interior design," she added, as as she looked around the place. It was by no means big, but the earth-coloured furniture with the deep blue walls gave the room a rather natural and kind of cosy feeling. "It's like we're in the middle of the ocean."

"It's not much," Harry looked around anxiously. "But I guess it's home."

He waited for a few moments, and when he realized that the girl wasn't going to answer, he continued, "So, you want some tea?"

"Tea would be nice," Luna nodded. "Could I ask you a question?"

"You just did," Harry pointed out, then he grinned at her before turning serious once again. "Jokes aside, sure, fire away."

"Why did you leave after the war?" Luna inquired, sinking onto one of the couches.

"It's a bit hard to explain," Harry sighed, putting the kettle on the stove. "And I'm not sure you'd understand it."

"I wouldn't tell anyone," Luna insisted. "You know me well enough to know that, Harry. I'm not asking this to harass you or invade your privacy, I'm just interested."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, smiling faintly. "I just…I don't think I'm over it, yet."

"Maybe it will help you if you tell me," Luna advised. "Or, maybe I could help in some way. I just want you to be happy."

"I'm sure you do," Harry answered. "Look, the thing is, I don't want to go back to London because I've had enough. I'm sure you know about the hype that had surrounded me after the war, and how I had become a well-known Auror, how I became the most sought-after man in Wizarding Britain. You know I never liked it. And what made it even worse was that I had – I'm sure I still have – a huge hater base, and my mere presence split the population in half. Some people outright worshipped me, and if anybody had had a single bad word about me, they were instantly labelled as a traitor – even if their suspicions were somewhat right. On the other hand, some people just hated me for being who I was. I don't know if anybody had noticed that back then, but everything - the media, the people - had become so toxic I just couldn't bear with it anymore."

"So you left?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, I did," Harry nodded. "I left because I was feeling pressured and guilty. It was I who made all of that happen, and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't even 18 yet," he added with a bitter laugh, as he poured the tea out into two cups. "So much for Gryffindor courage, right?"

"I don't think you've done the wrong thing," Luna shrugged. "I can't say for certain, as I've never been in this situation, but I think you can't always face everything head on. I understand that it was a rash decision, it might have been that you didn't think it through, but then you got stuck in it. And so you made yourself another home, which is just as brave as staying. Sometimes, letting it cool down is wiser than trying to fix everything yourself."

"Thanks," Harry replied as he handed a cup of tea to Luna, while sipping from the other one. "Oh, and how's everyone? After a year, the owls stopped coming, so I don't really know how they're doing anymore."

"Well, Ron is still working in the Auror Department. He never finished Hogwarts, but he seems to be fine," Luna started. "You know, he got back together with Lavender, and they're planning the wedding as of right now. He seems to be happy with her."

"He's not with Hermione anymore?" Harry asked, then sighed. "I guess they kind of had it coming."

"After they broke it up, she told me that she realized the life Ron promised her wasn't the one she wanted," Luna explained. "She wanted to focus on her career more. Oh, has she written to you that she's starting up S.P.E.W. again? Except she's now focusing on Beasts in general instead of house elves only. She really does know how to do business."

"I'm not surprised," Harry laughed heartily. "Hey, how about Ginny? I mean, I didn't really tell her I was leaving, and I'm not sure how she took it."

"At first, she was devastated," Luna said honestly. "Then, she became angry. But she's okay now. She can understand why you left, why you ran away, because she herself had once been one of those die-hard worshippers. She told me that she thought she was the reason the wizarding community became so unbearable, but I guess she has moved on. Lately, I've seen her with a lot of different people."

"Should've guessed that," Harry sighed. "Well, thanks for not saying "I told you so." Why didn't I see it coming? What am I? A sucker for punishment?"

"No," Luna mused. "You see the good in people, and that's never wrong. Besides, the wrong guys – or girls - are usually the most interesting."

"I guess you're right," Harry said, taking a gulp from his tea.

"And how have you been?" Luna asked after a few moments of silence. "Have you found your peace yet?"

"It's been okay, I guess," Harry answered. "I have a quiet job, I live in a quiet neighbourhood, I have a quiet life. But, in a way it's better than living in the public. At least here, no one comes after me, asking for an exclusive interview, and I don't have to hold long speeches in front of thousands just because I've been instructed to do so. I feel much freer than I did in London. I'm away from the media, so no one can fight over me in public."

"That's nice," Luna said, smiling. "Would you believe me if I said that even after five years of absence, Rita Skeeter still writes about you and your 'scandalous adventures' from time to time?"

"I don't think she's ever going to stop," Harry mumbled under his breath, though Luna could hear his words perfectly. "That insect had caused me enough problems in the past. You see, she's one of the main reasons why I left. She was practically the leader of my haters' group. I just can't quite comprehend why she has to make my life more and more miserable with every article she writes."

"But you're happy here, aren't you?" Luna inquired once again.

"Well, when I made this decision, I wasn't actually thinking," Harry confessed. "I just did what my heart told me to do. To be honest, sometimes I still think I shouldn't have done it, but it's been much more peaceful, and I'm grateful for that."

"It's good to hear that," Luna smiled faintly. "Hey, Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay here for a while?" Luna asked. "I know it's a bit abrupt, to barge in and ask you such a thing, but it's been a bit lonely for me the past five years. I've been researching Beasts, and I still get weird looks whenever I talk about them. You're the only one who never called me out on that. To be honest, I want to get away, just like you did." she casted her eyes down, not quite looking at the man in front of her. "I could live a bit of a peaceful life before going back into the madness that is London. And you'd be here, as well. I missed you, you know."

"I missed you too," Harry replied. "For how long do you plan on staying here?"

"I don't know," Luna said slowly. "For as long as we need it. Because when I go back, I will bring you with me."

"You really don't have to do this for me," Harry shook his head in disbelief.

"I want to help you," Luna countered. "You've done a lot of good things for other people, and you deserve some help in return. You're a good person, Harry."

"You're even better," Harry countered. "I've done some godawful things too."

"I think doing bad things is part of what makes you human," Luna said. "What makes you a _good_ human is that you know and you acknowledge that you've done something bad, and you try to fix it afterwards."

"Okay!" Harry threw his hands in the air in surrender. "You can help me, if you want. As soon as we finish this tea, I'll prepare the guest room for you. If you want, we can go to town tomorrow, and I can show you a few things."

"That would be great," Luna practically beamed with delight.

"And maybe," Harry muttered while he placed the cups in the dishwasher, "just maybe, it won't all be so toxic when we go back."


End file.
